Baby's first swing

Loved it.

Mommy-Baby selfies

Well, our sweet baby girl is FOUR months old, so in honor and celebration of all 15 pounds and 11 ounces of our little babe, here are some silly mommy-baby selfies from the other day--

What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

(Judith Marie admiring God's splendor out her grandma and grandpa's window)

Happy harvester

Little Miss has been accompanying her father and me to the my dad's community garden plot more frequently since he's been gone for field camp. Sometimes she has trouble tolerating the heat, even though we go with all sorts of sun-blocking tricks. There's only so much sweating that can be tolerated! I hear that. However, she's done a pretty good job of enduring her inherited over-active sweat glands, so we're happy to be teaching her how to grow all kinds of vegetables. People probably think we're crazy to bring such a young baby out there, and even more crazy to take the time to tell her what each plant is called, what color it is, how it grows, etc. but I think she understands more than we know and ought to be "growing" even now in knowledge and appreciation of the foods she will one day eat. 

With the good batches of rain lately, most of the plants are doing very well. In particular, we've had some crazy zucchini growth. 

Here she is with a pretty normal sized one

And here she is (looking slightly overwhelmed) with a monster zucchini

Imagining she is tasting some of the delicious harvest

Sweaty mom and baby

Unfortunately we didn't snap any pictures of sweet Dad. Until she can pull weeds and sit up unassisted (haha) and all that, he's gotta do most of the work. 

2 months

I could be the worst modern-times mother in the world. I don't have progressive pictures of my growing baby belly from my pregnancy, I didn't keep records of most of the details of that beautiful time, and now that Judith Marie is here, I haven't documented her growth on any of her big benchmark days. Whoops. I mean, there are some really cute ways- little onesies with number if months on them or simply putting the baby next to a cute object for scale. (If I wasn't posting this from my iPhone I would have a hyperlink to Listed/Oh.My.Cardigan or Mommy Koerner, whose bloggers both do and have done an awesome job of documenting their sweet babies' lives). Alas! 

At any rate, here she is, in the only picture I took of her yesterday on her two-month birthday. It was a nice lazy day, as you can see by her peaceful snooze-face. And no, I don't call her Ebe-snoozer Scrooge, haha, yet.

A-movin' and a-kickin'

"A-movin' and a-kickin'." That's what I've been saying lately to JMC in my saccharine baby voice. I am not sure that the "a" (pronounced like "uh") has any sort of real grammatical basis. I could care less. She loves it. I have found I say the stupidest things to her, but she likes the repetition in my strange sayings. Eg: when she sneezes I always say "Ebe-sneezer Scrooge". Parenting makes one weird. Or in my case, makes me weirder!

I've had trouble getting a non-blurry photo of her lately because she's become so active. It's a ton of fun and makes me sad to think about how quickly she is growing up. Here are a few pictures of what she's been up to lately. 

Doing a little dancing

Doing a little smiling and a-movin'

Snoozing with her radish, the first crop from the AU community garden plot where she supervises the work of her dad and grandpa

Something Strange

I never tire of this.

From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday-

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.